The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-18
SALE OF THE STATE ROAD
MR.. DEAN OPENS THE DEBATE ON
HIS BILL.

Should Be Sold at the EARNEST Prac-
ticable Moment The Appropriation
for the Asylum at Cave Springs Dis
cussed in the House.
ATLANTA, GA, Aug. I'm the Senate
to-day the special order was Mr.. Deans bill
for the sale of the State road. The bill was
read.
Mr. Butt, of the Twenty fourth district,
moved an amendment submitting the act to
the people, the vote to be taken at the cleo
ton of the next Legislature.
The opening argument for the bill was
made by Mr.. Dean. His advocacy of the
sale of the road was based on the idea that
the State should not own property and thus
compete with its own citizens, Offering the
temptation to the State to use its sovereign
power to obtain advantage over competi-
tors, who have no such power. He also
argued that it is a bad business policy for
State to own property and owe debts,
the interest on the debts amounting
to more than the rental derived from the
road, when by a sale of the property the
entire debt can be paid. He claimed that
the ownership and management of the road
by the State was disturbing element in
the politics of the State. Every political
campaign for the past forty years has been
burdened with discussions about this prop
erty fraud and corruption being charged
time and again upon those in charge of it.
Whether or not these charges were true
they were made repeatedly, and bad feel
ing and political acrimony was engendered.
CONSUMED MUCH TINE.
The time of the Legislature has been taken
up amounting TO days and weeks, in dis
cussing the road and its management, and
its lease has not prevented either the bitter
ness in the campaign or the debates in the
General Assembly regarding the proposition
to submit the sale to a vote of the
people He said the members of the General
Assembly were elected to act for the
people, not to refer questions back to
the people. He said the constitution of 1877
directly authorized the sale by the General
Assembly, and that delay in the settlement
of the question under discussion until next
November would force upon the State the
very thing he was anxious to avoid, viz: a
forced sale or lease when no time could
be had to properly mature plans
Then the sale would have to be made in
such a short time before the lease expires
that in his opinion only bad one would be
made, and as there would be no competition
the road would not bring half its value in
sale or lease. Now a magnificent sum
could be obtained if the State
purchasers the opportunity TO
form companies with sufficient capital to
buy so large and expensive property. The
Legislature will be held directly responsible
for the delay and consequent depression in
price. Again, the interest now being paid
on the bonded Indebtedness of the State is
1887, coo, and the rental amounts to $780,
900, difference against the State of $751;
900.
BIG MONEY EXPECTED.
The price offered by purchasers, provided
the bill passes, will be more than IS SOC, 600
the minimum price named in the bill. The
present plan Of paying the debt of Georgia
will require eighty-fve years to complete
it, and S42, 600, 900, principal and interest
will be the amount required 1t is true the
rental from the road will be some set off,
but it is nothing on the principal of the
debt, and who knows but that the
road may be financial wreck
long before the States debt is paid, and in
that event the rental will be stopped
Again, as soon as this road is sold it becomes
subject TO the burdens of government and
the owners will pay taxes just the same as
other roads. Now the State receives as
taxes from the lessees the sum of 1925 If
owned by others than the State the amount
OF taxes will be annually about $1,000.
ANSWERING OBJECTIONS.
Senator Dean then proceeded to notice
the objections to the sale of the road. The
first was that the bill recognized the claim
for betterments. He denied this, and proved
by the reading of the bill that it contained
no such recognition. 1t would not be well
for Georgia to sell the property until the
State had an understanding with the lessees
about the betterments. He said to de-
lay the passage of the bill for
that reason would be to encourage
the lessees to believe that their
claim for betterments was valid He argued
that the inventory furnished by the com
missioners at the time the lease was made is
the basis of settlement between the State of
Georgia and the leSsees, and there can
be no other. This bill recognizes this
and no more, and does not presup-
pose the payment of betterments. Pend
ing this argument the Senate adjourned
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day the privileges of the
floor were rendered the Agricultural Con-
vsntion delegates. The special order was
Tile resolution to appropriate SIP, 900 for the
completion of new building and for re-
pairing and refurnishing the Deaf and
Dumb Asylum at Cave Springs. The report
of the Finance COMMITTEES reduced the
amount to $1,000. The bill was considered
in committee of the whole
Mr.. Wheeler, of Walker moved TO amend
by striking out $1,000 and substituting
$1,000.
Mr. Denny narrated the circumstances
under which the first appropriation for the
new building was made and che progress
made toward its completion. He said the
building could not be utilized until small
additional appropriation was made to com
plete IT. He stated specifically the work Tor
which the appropriation was needed and the
necessity for 1t. He said the institution was
greatly crowded. In one room there We're
thirty pupils. He insisted on the import
ance OF the institution and the
duty of the State to support
it. To provide properly for the enlarge
ment OF the main building $1,000 was
needed. He compared the appropriations
made for the deaf and dumb asylum and
those for the lunatic asylum and the asylum
for the blind, showing that the State had
been much more liberal towards the two
latter than toward the former, and thatithe
cost per capita was much less in the former
than in either of the Others
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
Mr. Stewart, Of Rockdale, explained why
Tho committee thought $4,000 sufficient. He
said that the appropriation was absolutely
necessary.
Mr. Clay, of Cobb. said that there was
not a single dissenting vote in the Finance
COMMITTEE TO the appropriation of $1,000.
After hearing the statement of the princi-
pal of the institute he insisted on the ncces-
sity of making it, The sum of $1,000 was
wanted to complete the new building and